Top 3 Irish Golf Courses
With acres of rugged terrain, and a dramatic coastline, West Ireland is one of the most scenic places to play golf. Forget soft sandy bunkers and pristine greens, a golf holiday in Ireland involves a one man battle with the elements – more balls may be lost than won, but the stunning scenery and warm hospitality (to be found in local taverns post-match) is your deserved reward. But Timid Golfers need not fear, with our guide to the best golf courses West Ireland has to offer:
1. Ireland has 420 golf clubs, but Doonbeg is probably its most difficult. The course is only six years old, but lies perched in the windy, rocky headlands of County Clare in Doughmore Bay. Conservation areas are strictly enforced and the greens are only just tamed, so it feels as if the course has been part of the wild landscape for centuries, a battlefield of grassy ridges, bumpy terrain and vast dunes. If you’re scorecard is taking a bashing and you’re losing your balls as well as your patience, then the upmarket clubhouse and extravagant guest lodge are the perfect place to unwind. Prices include one dinner, green fee and a spa treatment, perfect for any non-golfers among you.
2. Lahinch is a more chilled out choice, and whilst it is known as the “St Andrews of Ireland”, you’d be hard pressed to find laid back surfers strolling around Scotland’s famous greens. With a backdrop of golden sand, the crumbling ruins of Lahinch Castle and waves lapping at the shore, it will be hard to keep your eyes on the ball (but you’ll need to if you want to triumph at the tricky holes of “Klondyke Hill”).
3. If you like your golf course served up with a celebrity endorsement, then you should head to Ballybunion, a course admired by such luminaries as Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus, and…Bill Clinton. Surrounded by coastal vistas, the course offers the same top class immaculate greens and rolling fairways you’d expect to find on an American course, but with a dose of Irish charm running alongside – patches of thigh high rough, and a graveyard running alongside the first hole. The 11th hole is the most intimidating of all, perched on top of a cliff, and overlooking a magnificent bay, where you and your driver are at the mercy of the powerful Irish wind. If you want to stay as close to the green as possible, the Teach de Broc country house nearby feels luxurious without losing any of its rustic charm.
Ryanair and BMI Baby both offer flights to Ireland West Airport Knock, and Stena Line provide a ferry service to Cork.
|
Getting
to Ireland
Bus
Car
Plane
Airports
Ferry
Train
|
English
Francais
Deutsch
Italiano
Español